Fully Known, Fully Loved

One of my deepest, most desperate desires is to be fully known and still fully loved.

We live in a social-media saturated world full of hearts and likes. So the idea of someone knowing me fully, the me that spends too much money on iced coffee, the me that struggles to daily open her Bible before opening Instagram, the me that can’t be contained in a 140-character update? The idea that someone could know me fully and still love messy, complicated me?

It sounds crazy. Absurd, even.

All too often I’m tempted to believe the lie whispering inside: You are invisible.

Quickly following behind, these words join the mix: You are on your own.

But now I have one word to whisper back (or shout, depending on the day) and I want to share it with you:

Laminin.

Hang with me for a minute here, because we’re going to get a little bit scientific for just a second. Don’t worry, I’m a word-girl to my core and so we won’t spend much time on terms I can’t even begin to pronounce. But this word — laminin — is one of my favorite things in the entire world, an ever-present reminder that you and I are not invisible and never alone.

We’ll talk about Jesus in a minute, too. But first, laminin.

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Those words ^ are the beginning of Day One: Invisible in the newest Sacred Holidays Advent study. I was honored to contribute and had a good laugh that this is how many people will begin their Advent season: reading my uncomfortable admission. It’s fine. I’m fine. Just a bit humbled (thanks, Jesus).

I love the idea of looking at a different aspect of God’s character every day, and the He Is: The Attributes of God is truly a gorgeous study. (This is what I’ll be working through this Advent!)

The study isn’t surface level or fluffy (praises!) and each day is written by a different contributor. There are several studies (men, women, teen girls, and families) and each one looks at the same attribute each day but has different content inside. I’ve never seen anything like this, but I think it’s such a good idea and would be a great conversation starter.

My favorite part? 10% of the profits provide Advent studies for women in prison… and over 420 have already been delivered! (They’re hoping to deliver another 300 studies but need to first sell 500 more books.) You can find out more here or simply enjoy the image of me below. I am obviously a joy to photograph and make it really easy to capture a great shot…..

P.s. Advent begins in just a few days, but if you order soon the study should arrive on time. If not, it would be easy to catch up on a day or two!